Posted on: Monday, December 29, 2008
LIVING GREEN
Simple resolutions for an eco-friendly life
By Mike Gordon
Installing photovoltaic panels on your roof to make electricity or buying a hybrid car to cut back on gas are great ideas, but living greener doesn't have to involve expensive changes to your lifestyle.
To help you create environmentally friendly habits for 2009, some of Hawai'i's green gurus have a gift for you: A range of simple resolutions for the new year.
Perhaps the most important lesson, though, is not about what is and is not green behavior. It's about patience.
"I think there are different shades of green," said Robert D. Harris, the new director of the Sierra Club, Hawai'i Chapter. "I think it is wonderful to say, 'I am starting at this point in the green spectrum and hopefully moving toward being more and more green.' I think it is rewarding."
AT HOME
Retired art teacher Betty Gearen, who turned her Pauoa home into a sustainable living center called The Green House, believes that protecting the environment starts in your backyard. Grow something, whether it's a tree or a garden, Gearen suggests. You don't need a lot of space — a container will easily support a tomato plant or basil. "If you have space between your fence and the sidewalk, you can grow cucumbers and sunflowers, which help bees," she said. "It's guerrilla gardening." Place a barrel at the bottom of a roof drainage downspout to collect rainwater for your garden. Install a spigot near the base so you can attach a hose. Use a plastic garbage can or buy empty 55-gallon vinegar or cooking oil barrels — obtainable from Love's Bakery for $15, Gearen said. Put fish and water hyacinths in the barrel, and the fish waste will enrich the water for your plants. Get a worm bin. They will digest vegetable skins, fruit, coffee grounds, bread and cereals, and the waste becomes what Gearen calls "gardener's gold." The bins are easy to make, with instructions easily found online. Take an old drawer, drill holes on the bottom, cover that with shredded newspaper, then put your worms on the paper. The worm food goes on top of that and the whole thing is covered with more paper, which Gearen said the worms eat, too. You'll have to go online to find a source for the worms, however.
DITCH PLASTIC
Suzanne Frazer, co-founder of Beach Environmental Awareness Campaign Hawai'i, has a plan to reduce plastic waste created by consumers. Just say no. Always bring a reusable bag when shopping — for groceries, clothes, shoes, items at the hardware store — rather than accept those bags provided by merchants. This will reduce the amount of plastic bags that end up as litter, Frazer said. Be aware of unnecessary plastics and tell merchants you don't want them. That includes saying no to those little green plastic leaves from sushi packaging and bento boxes, which Frazer's beach cleaning crews have found in Hanauma Bay, and plastic bags used to carry sub sandwiches. "It has already been wrapped in paper and you don't need the plastic, which gets thrown away about three seconds later anyway," she said. Bring your own reusable containers when you buy takeout food. This will cut down on use of Styrofoam containers — and you'll get over the curious stares very quickly, Frazer said. "You are cutting down on the use of Styrofoam containers, which leach styrene into your food and drinks," she said. "A lot of these plastics contain toxins that people are unaware that they are ingesting."
MAKE IT SIMPLE
Robert D. Harris, the new director of the Sierra Club, Hawai'i Chapter, has several easy, affordable suggestions for going green. Go for a hike. "You don't appreciate the environment until you are in it," Harris said. "If you go outside, you learn to appreciate natural areas and see they are worth protection." If you have a yard, use native plants. They will likely require less water because they are accustomed to the area where you live. Once a week, commute to work by riding TheBus, riding a bicycle or joining a carpool. "Doing it once a week isn't as difficult as trying to commit to doing it everyday," said Harris, who started catching TheBus on a regular basis two years ago. "You might be pleasantly surprised after trying it." Use a clothesline to dry your clothing. Not only does it save money, but over the course of a year, a single family can reduce carbon emissions by one ton.
Reach Mike Gordon at mgordon@honoluluadvertiser.com.
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